sawtooth oak Fagaceae Quercus acutissima Carruthers   symbol: QUAC80
	Leaf: Alternate, simple, lanceolate in shape, 3 to 7 inches long, pinnately veined with a very sharply serrate margin bearing bristle-tipped teeth. Strongly resembles a Castanea leaf. Flower: Male catkins are golden and pendant, appearing in the spring; female catkins are borne on spikes, appearing with the leaves. Fruit: Acorns are oval in shape. Cap covers 1/2 of nut with scales very prominently reflexed - resembles hair. Among the first acorns to ripen in the fall after two years. Twig: Quite slender, red to gray-brown in color with multiple terminal buds; buds are gray-brown, pubescent on the bud scale edges and somewhat pyramidal. Bark: Ridged and furrowed even when young, later deeply ridged and furrowed, somewhat corky. Form: A small to medium size tree that forms a dense pyramidal crown that rounds with age.
	USDA Plants Database Quercus acutissima is planted in the highlighted USDA hardiness zones to the left and may seed into the landscape. See a map of the states in which sawtooth oak has escaped (opens a new window).